Peace is a lie. There is only passion.Through passion, I gain strength.Through strength, I gain power.Through power, I gain victory.Through victory my chains are broken.The force shall set me free.

Everyone should come to their own conclusion on the meaning of the Sith Code. What follows is mine, feel free to adopt mine or not.

The first line is made of two sentences. This tells me they are to be taken separately and together. With Peace is a lie, I am reminded of how often peace must be defended. The concept of peace promises tranquility, yet life becomes a constant battle to avoid or remove triggers. But when contrasted with passion, a whole new perspective unfolds. The word for passion in greek meant to suffer. So, passion is a pleasurable suffering. If peace is a lie, this means that suffering will occur regardless; it’s only a matter if I can learn to enjoy it.

In the next line we see that by enjoying some act of suffering that I will be made stronger. I compare this to every known passion: skiing, surfing, painting, writing, body building, and my personal favorite - wood working. True enough, I am more likely to continue doing something I enjoy. And, by continuing to do it I will get better at it.

How then can strength lead to power? This line implies that by getting good at something my talent will be recognized which means increased influence, wealth, or other resources.

It is by a lifetime of gaining strength and power that I attain victory. This victory can be read as made-man, or that I have given myself definition and distinction.

With victory or great satisfaction comes a release. No longer does one wish to leave their mark on the world after having done so. But in another way, strength and power have become so advanced that you make a passion look easy or effortless. While peace is still a lie, the suffering itself becomes the reward.

The force shall set me free comes with a break in rhythm. It’s different than the rest, which are a formula for success. It has a tone of both fitting in sequence and referring to something else. I take this to mean that by following the previous steps, adepts reach a status that is larger than life - legendary.